Saturday, December 17, 2016

Forgotten TV: Hollywood A Go Go (1965)

Hollywood A Go Go started as a locally produced music show based in Los Angeles in 1964. The following winter, the producers inked a distribution deal with Four Star Television to get the show syndicated across the country. Radio personality Sam Riddle, better known as an announcer for game shows in the 70's, and later developed the popular talent show, Star Search, in the 80's, is in front of the camera as series host.

By this point, with their output of crime dramas & westerns shrinking, and seemingly every sitcom the studio produced failing to get past a season, Four Star was no longer the major player it was a decade earlier. Hollywood represented another shift in the studio's overall philosophy. It was their first variety show, and it, too, ended up failing, cancelled after 1 calendar year. Four Star had also branched out to game shows, with the Saturday morning series, Shenanigans, having launched in the fall of '64. Their most successful game, PDQ, like Shenanigans a collaboration with Heatter-Quigley, lasted for about 3-4 years.

Let's take a look at the series finale, which featured The Byrds, James Darren, and so much more.



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